Lil Ol' Me
by The Design Nerd
Summary: All great villains have their tragic backstory. Rethinking his past, Gideon Gleeful faces the forces that turned him to the dark side. I don't own Gravity Falls! No Pinecest!
1. Summer Break

**Hey people! So I decided another year of school complete deserves a  
celebration. But, since I'm poor and stuck in the equivalent of Nowhere  
from Courage the Cowardly Dog, a new Fanfic will have to do. So without  
further ado, here's my new story: Lil Ol' Me. I haven't seen a Gideon  
background story on here yet, which is rather surprising. So I took it! Ha!**

**I don't own Gravity Falls or the characters...unfortunately.**

* * *

Gideon stared intensely at his reflection in the mirror. It was lined with busted light  
bulbs and pictures of his love, Mabel Pines. He had long since burned the parts  
featuring her twin brother in rage. The boy looked down and started to grab his  
newly-created amulet but paused for a moment, like he was trying to remember  
something.

"It was _you!_ _YOU _did this to me!" He screamed as he ripped the gem away from his  
neck and threw it to the floor. It cracked slightly and cast a faint, shadowy glow across  
the floorboards. As if he was guilted into doing so, Gideon walked across the room in  
silence, picked the tie back up, and returned to his chair.

The child whispered to the amulet he now cradled in his hands, "It's your fault. I wasn't  
always like this…"

* * *

A younger Gideon Gleeful sat on the front steps of his family's relatively new home in  
Gravity Falls, Oregon. He donned a simple pale blue shirt with a one-eyed star in the  
center over a pair of worn, far-too-long jeans that tried to reach past his matching tennis  
shoes. His bleach-blond hair sat flatly on his pale, freckled face, perpetually needing it to  
be brushed out of his bright blue eyes.

He had just moved northwest from a small town in Texas a couple months back and still  
hadn't quite adjusted to his surroundings. The impolite citizens of the town, the way people  
judged him based on his accent, even the lack of decent sweet tea bothered the boy.

"Gideon, are you coming or what?!" the familiar voice caused the boy to look up with a smile.

"I figured I'd actually spend the first day of my summer break, erm, well…actually _takin'_ a  
break, Pacifica…" Gideon replied in his deep southern drawl, leaning back further to take  
more of the sunlight streaming through the pine trees.

"No way I'm letting you just sit around all alone, Giddy."

"Don't call me that. And I'm stayin' put right here." he pointed to the ground.

"Alright, suit yourself." She started off down the gravel driveway, stopping every few feet to  
playfully announce that she was leaving, aiming to guilt-trip him into coming with her.

To Gideon, being there in the strange new town wasn't so terrible with her around. Even though  
she was a Northwest, she seemed like she wanted to just blend into the crowd just like any other  
kid. Well, _blend _probably wouldn't be the first word to come to mind when describing Pacifica. Her  
long, blonde hair was always in a mess of oddly-placed braids, much to her parents' dismay. To  
add to her 'style,' she layered brightly colored tops over her signature bell-bottomed jeans and a  
pair of her seemingly unlimited supply of different sandals. Somehow though, the look suited her.

Gideon was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by a tap on the shoulder that revealed a bracelet-  
-clad hand offering to help him up. He sighed and decided he wasn't going to win this round as  
he got to his feet, no more questions asked. Pacifica had a strange way of getting people to do  
what she wanted, and to be honest, he was kind of jealous. People seemed to walk all over him  
no matter what. He tried clearing the thoughts out of his mind, but Pacifica caught on quickly.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh…umm—nothing. Just missing Texas, that's all." he lied, making the worst poker face possible.

"Ooookayyy…you're weird, you know that, right?" Pacifica squinted her eyes while she jokingly  
questioned Gideon.

He awkwardly laughed in response before blurting out, "Hey, weren't we gonna go do somethin'?"

"Of course!" Pacifica face-palmed, "I was going to make this summer amazing by showing you  
around the forest!"

"T-the forest?" Gideon managed to stammer, "Don't you feel like you're being watched? Maybe I'm  
just para-…"

Pacifica cut in, "Seriously? You're afraid of trees now? Come on."

She grabbed his hand and briskly made her way to the forest's edge, Gideon reluctantly in tow. The  
girl then released her friend from her steel grip. He pulled his hand up to his chest and rubbed it in  
response.

"Ow?!"

"You'll be fine. Alright. Follow me! You better keep up…_Giddy_," Pacifica mocked.

Knowing she pushed the boy's buttons and he would follow, Pacifica darted off into the trees with no  
discernable path leading her. While her reflexes allowed her to duck and jump at the perfect times,  
Gideon managed to clip every low-hanging branch, root, and rock in his path, forcing him to lose sight  
of his newly appointed tour guide. Just then, a branch appeared out of nowhere, knocking the boy into  
a roll down a nearby hill.

Pacifica noticed she couldn't hear her friend anymore and looked around, "I knew I should've waited for  
him. He doesn't get out much," She started calling for him, "Gideon? Gideon! Okay, this isn't funny  
anymore!"

She noticed a path that sliced through the foliage, littered with broken twigs and flattened ferns. She  
thought to herself, "_Hmm…strange…it almost looks like—"_

Pacifica gasped in realization, "GIDEON!"

* * *

**I know, I know, it seems a little reverse-Pinesy right now, but that'll change throughout the  
story as I develop the characters. Tell me what you think in the reviews. Also, you should visit  
my DeviantArt, ramsoccer3792, to see the progress on my fancy hand-drawn replica '3' Journal! **

**And yes, I'm also the person who's been making awesomejosh8596's covers for his stories...  
They take ****_forever_**** to make!**


	2. The Old Tree

**Hey everyone! I can't believe this story is so popular already! Already reviews,  
favs, and follows? I'm definitely surprised. Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

_Pacifica noticed she couldn't hear her friend anymore and looked around, "I knew I  
should've waited for him. He doesn't get out much," She started calling for him,  
"Gideon? Gideon! Okay, this isn't funny anymore!"_

_She noticed a path that sliced through the foliage, littered with broken twigs and  
flattened ferns. She thought to herself, "_Hmm…strange…it almost looks like—"

_Pacifica gasped in realization, "GIDEON!"_

* * *

Pacifica took off in a sprint, following the freshly-made path through the brush,  
frantically searching for Gideon. At the end of the trail, she saw the blond boy  
sitting against the trunk of a tree, rubbing his head with a pained expression  
on his face.

"GIDEON! Are you okay?" Pacifica panicked, looking over her friend to make sure  
he wasn't seriously injured, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to leave you behind!"

"Pacifica, it's alright. It wasn't your fault anyways. That'll teach me for not payin'  
attention to the trail…" He declared, getting to his feet, "Wait what's wro-"

Gideon turned to where his friend's widened eyes fixated and paused as well. A  
small electric box of some sort was barely noticeable past the small, disguised  
door and cobwebs that surrounded it. Impulsively, he reached up to open it the  
rest of the way and poked at a few buttons and knobs. Just then, another door  
popped open directly below the first, revealing a red leather-bound book, a golden  
hand with a '2' in the center.

"Hmm…I was thinkin' a hidden trap door would open up for some reason, but  
another door makes much more sense," the southerner spoke aloud, "I mean  
anything kept underground would not be in such good condition as this-this…  
I think it's a novel?"

He proceeded to open the musty book to a random page, allowing Pacifica to  
look at it.

"I don't think this is a novel…" she stated, pointing out the various drawings  
and cryptic messages on the page, "If anything, it would have to be a field  
guide of some sort. Wait, what's this? Blood rain? Zombie conjuring?! This  
probably isn't the sort of stuff we should be messing with, Gideon."

Gideon didn't respond. He was too intrigued by the book as evidenced by his  
complete disregard of what his friend was saying as he flipped through the torn,  
yellowed pages. The boy stopped on the last page and began to read out loud:

" 'October 16th: As I continued my studies and journeys throughout the peculiar  
town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, I realized that if this journal were to fall into the  
wrong hands, no one could prevent such a person or creature from causing harm  
to the unbelievably naïve residents of this fair town. It is for this reason that I have  
decided to create another with ways to balance out the forces should this happen.  
However, it will remain hidden like this one until it becomes apparent that it is  
indeed being used for corrupted purposes.' Wow, either this guy's completely  
insane or this is really somethin' important. We better keep hold of it so it doesn't  
'fall into the wrong hands' or whatever," Gideon chimed and stuffed the oversized  
book under his small chubby arm and started to walk away, "Who better to take  
care of it than us?"

"I'm still not so sure about it." Pacifica added, "I mean, what if the author comes  
looking for the book and it's not here anymore?"

"Just look at these pages! This had to be written at least 50 years ago! Even if the  
guy's still alive, there's no way he's in any sort of shape to make it the whole way  
out here, let alone remember the code." the boy retorted, his southern drawl  
dragging out each word.

"Just put it back…what if it's cursed or something?"

"Okay. Only because _that_ sounds terrifying." He replied, reluctantly setting the  
journal back into the hollow.

The duo headed back the way they came and parted ways at the edge of the  
wilderness, each with a new story to tell. However, a story wasn't enough for  
Gideon Gleeful: he needed proof.

As soon as his parents got to sleep, he tiptoed out the door, being careful not to  
disturb the happy couple. Surely if he were caught, he would be grounded for  
sneaking out this late at night. He crept down the driveway and into the forest,  
following the path he and Pacifica created earlier. Once he reached the tree, he  
messed with the machine until the door reopened, revealing the book with the  
unfitting golden hand affixed to the front.

"I'll make sure this stays out of the wrong hands," Gideon whispered to himself.  
He stuffed the old book into his gray backpack and headed home.

* * *

**OoOooOooo! Gideon just found the '2' journal and is bent on keeping it a  
secret from Pacifica! Tension!**

**Anyways, rate/review/follow if you like my story so far! :)**


	3. Insomnia

**Hey everyone! Since this is doing so well (for having just over 110  
views, I have a pretty impressive amount of reviews, favorites, and  
followers), I've decided I'll update this and my other story waaay  
more often than I have been. Also, I'm on summer break and I  
suddenly have so much free time I don't know what to do with myself!  
Well, other than drawing strange stuff in Photoshop and posting it  
online. There's always that.**

* * *

_As soon as his parents got to sleep, he tiptoed out the door, being careful not  
to disturb the happy couple. Surely if he were caught, he would be grounded  
for sneaking out this late at night. He crept down the driveway and into the  
forest, following the path he and Pacifica created earlier. Once he reached the  
tree, he messed with the machine until the door reopened, revealing the book  
with the unfitting golden hand affixed to the front._

_"I'll make sure this stays out of the wrong hands," Gideon whispered to himself.  
He stuffed the old book into his gray backpack and headed home._

* * *

A bright light emanated from underneath Gideon's thinner summer blankets. He  
decided that since his adrenaline was still pumping from his daring mission and  
he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while anyways, the best use of his time was to  
catch up on a little bit of reading. He hunched over the leather-bound book spread  
across his lap and using a flashlight as his guide, he skimmed through the faded  
pages at an astonishing pace. Despite being only 8 and a half years old, Gideon  
could read at a level and speed only a small handful of his peers could even  
attempt to compare to.

With a yawn he slowed his reading, intent on closing the journal for the night,  
when an out-of-place colored drawing caught his eye. The sketch showed a small,  
glowing green gem affixed to what looked to be a bolo tie.

"My dad used to have one of these a couple years back, but it wasn't near as flashy  
as this one here!" He quietly exclaimed and began reading to himself, despite his  
sudden onset of exhaustion, "'_The Mystic Amulet, known for its unique psychic  
powers, can be easily created by obtaining a small sample of the precious, size-  
-changing crystal hidden deep within the Gravity Falls Forest and enchanting it  
with a simple spell.'"_

"Sounds easy enough," the boy said with an approving nod and continued, the  
cryptic book being pulled closer to his face with every word.

_"'This will convert the crystal from the somewhat restricted use of changing sizes to a  
charm that amplifies brain activity, giving the bearer telekinesis and the ability to read  
and bend minds at will. Curiously enough, each time the spell is cast, the gem becomes  
permanently fixed to a bolo tie for some reason.'_"

"This sounds amazin'! Maybe I'll do this tomorrow…" he whispered as his heavy eyelids  
fell, sending him into a deep, dreamless sleep, the exciting words on the pages still  
echoing softly through his mind. However, what Gideon did not notice was the faint,  
faded sentence penciled in at the edge of the paper that ominously read "_As it has  
been said many times before: absolute power corrupts absolutely." _

* * *

**I know this chapter's really short, but it's filled with some cool stuff. Either that  
or maybe I'm misusing the word 'cool' again…Anyways, review/favorite/follow  
if you liked this chapter! I appreciate all the support!**


	4. Drawn

**Well I've realized that I've essentially become nocturnal because  
of the lack of trains and police sirens here at home at 2am. I've  
been in the city for far too long it seems…Now it's time to get used  
to the occasional trespassing cow and meth-addict neighbors again!  
Oh the joys of the country…Well, here's the next chapter of ****_Lil Ol' Me!  
_****Oh and I don't own Gravity Falls, Alex Hirsch does.**

* * *

_"This sounds amazin'! Maybe I'll do this tomorrow…" he whispered as his heavy  
eyelids fell, sending him into a deep, dreamless sleep, the exciting words on the  
pages still echoing softly through his mind. However, what Gideon did not notice  
was the faint, faded sentence penciled in at the edge of the paper that ominously  
read "As it has been said many times before: absolute power corrupts absolutely." _

* * *

Gideon awoke with a start and threw on his favorite star shirt with a red zip-up  
hoodie on top. Not wasting any time, he stuffed his newly found treasure into his  
book bag and swung it around his back, practically knocking his mirror to the floor  
in the process. He ran down the steps, intent on finding the crystals as quickly as  
humanly possible_. _The boy was about to make a mad dash for the forest when he  
met Pacifica face-to-face as soon as he swung open the door, leaving her in  
mid-knock.

"Oh hey Gideon! I just wanted to know if you wanted to go exploring again. I never  
got to show you my favorite spot. Oh yeah, and in case you forgot, school's out! You  
don't have to catch the bus today." Pacifica pointed to his backpack, barely holding  
back her laughter.

"Oh. Umm. S-sure!" the southerner stammered back, his blue eyes darting back and  
forth trying to avoid contact with Pacifica's green ones, "Heh, better put this back then."

Feeling both nervous and proud that she hadn't found out his façade, Gideon awkwardly  
bumped into the doorframe, clumsily knocking the leather book to the ground. As soon  
as he noticed, the boy unceremoniously scooped the journal and pencils back into the  
bag. Pacifica's eyes widened in disbelief. Gideon's face echoed the same solemn,  
shocked expression.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is." she stated coldly.

"Yeah, I just couldn't leave it there. I don't know what came over me. Curiosity I'm guessin'."

A touch of both fear and annoyance lingered in her voice as she shakily pointed toward the  
object, "I tried to warn you, but, but—"

Pacifica backed away slowly, never finishing her sentence, putting as much distance between  
herself and the book as possible. She made her way unsteadily down the porch steps, turned  
swiftly from the boy, and took off toward her house.

"What's up with her? It's just a book," Gideon said to himself while he shoved his arms into the  
straps of his backpack yet again, dismissing Pacifica's strange behavior as yet another irrational  
girl mood swing. It seemed like a relatively logical conclusion; he noticed she wasn't exactly  
level-headed when it came to certain things.

_"Well, at least I can go to find the crystals now!" _He thought to himself, running through the  
details of the page that caught his eye the night before, _"What better way to start off the summer  
than findin' somethin' that'll give me superpowers? Maybe TLC'll make a show about me! Nope,  
psychic's already been taken. So has random southern pageant kid. That really limits my options."_

Looking skyward, Gideon pulled his tiny hand up to the first of his chins in thought. Distracted by  
the prospects of one day having his own reality show, his shoes caught a small rock lodged in the  
pathway, sending him careening down the second hill within the past 24 hours.

"NOT…A…GAIN!" he tumbled head over heels until he finally came to a stop at the base. The boy's  
vision refocused, revealing a mass of crystals growing out of the dew-soaked earth, separating the  
still-rising sun's golden rays into translucent hues of pinks and blues.

"Well, that was convenient. Painful, sure—but convenient." he dusted off his now grass-stained jeans,  
pushed the long blond hair out of his face and pulled out the journal, "Yepp. I reckon this here's the  
place."

* * *

**I'm sorry about the shameless TLC references…other than new episodes of Gravity Falls,  
the Big Bang Theory, and Adventure Time, my TV's basically stuck on that channel. ****_My  
Crazy Obsession_**** has become ****_my _****crazy obsession. I've been thinking about hoarding  
****_Hoarders _****episodes on my DVR. I wish ****_Here Comes Honey Boo Boo_**** would just get here  
already. Crazy random tangent aside, get yourselves ready for the next chapter: it's  
where the story ****_really_**** takes off! In the meantime, review, favorite, and follow! :D**


	5. Altered

**_Random Story Insight_****: If you couldn't already tell, Gideon is  
one of my favorites from Gravity Falls…he's a main character  
in both of my stories just because he's so…interesting (and  
disturbed, I can't forget disturbed). It just amazes me that  
someone could create such an incredibly evil, dynamic character—  
especially one so ridiculous-looking-who's only probably 9  
years old. I figured he couldn't have always been evil, so I  
started writing this. Okay. That's enough with the oddly  
informational author's note. On with the story!**

* * *

_"NOT…A…GAIN!" he tumbled head over heels until he finally came to  
a stop at the base. The boy's vision refocused, revealing a mass of  
crystals growing out of the dew-soaked earth, separating the still-rising  
sun's golden rays into translucent hues of pinks and blues. _

_"Well, that was convenient. Painful, sure—but convenient." he dusted off  
his now grass-stained jeans, pushed the long blond hair out of his face  
and pulled out the journal, "Yepp. I reckon this here's the place."_

* * *

Gideon stood in awe of the massive gemstones for a minute longer.

"_I wonder how they grow and shrink thi—"_

His thought was interrupted by a squirrel bounding into the clearing. It  
crossed one of the blue rays, rapidly transforming to the size of a small car.  
The boy jumped back at the sight of the gargantuan fluffy beast as it leapt  
into a nearby pink beam, shrinking it back to normal.

"Well that was strangely candid," the blond said aloud, "I better stay far  
away from those things. I wouldn't wanna be shrunk down…especially not  
in the woods."

Gideon surveyed the area and plucked a smaller crystal from the shadow of  
the largest ones looming overhead. He held it in his hands, noticing how  
strange it was that it seemed to already be perfectly cut and polished, as if a  
jeweler had once made the journey and performed the task himself. It seemed  
extremely clinical and unnatural as he rolled the gemstone in his hands. The  
stone caught a glimmer of sunlight and grew a mushroom slightly that seemed  
to be housing a group of shrunken deer. When he noticed them scatter, Gideon  
immediately closed his tiny hands around it, blocking out its only source of power.

"Okay, on with the whole weird spell thing before I do any more damage…" Gideon  
said aloud as he grabbed his book off the ground. The boy flipped through the worn  
pages, the golden hand shimmering in the sunlight like a newly-won trophy. He  
stopped at the one that had caught his eye the previous day and began to read the  
words hastily scrawled underneath the illustration, the crystal still gripped firmly in  
his right hand as he held it overhead.

"Change the shape and change the size, allow full power realized; All potential held  
within, command influence to begin!"

Upon speaking the last word of the spell, an unnatural electric ball of energy enveloped  
the small child's body in a blinding bluish light that slowly lifted him a few inches off the  
ground. His arms immediately spread out to his sides as if to form wings as his legs  
remained pointed to the ground, revealing a sudden rush of blue-green lightning that  
danced around each of his limbs in a beautiful swirl.

Gideon forced open his once-blue eyes, now shining an eerie bright white, as a great  
flash charged out of the 9-year-old, sending a shockwave throughout the woods that  
sent leaves into a twisted frenzy and scattered the unusually-sized creatures deeper into  
the trees. The sphere of light disappeared and released him, dropping the now-unconscious  
southerner to the cold, unforgiving forest floor. A newly-created amulet dropped to his side.  
The faint 'clink' of metal hitting rock seemed to resonate through the trees, bringing only  
a moment's rest to the complete and utter silence that seemed as endless as the pines  
themselves.

**Woah! Gideon's created his amulet! How will Pacifica react to the news? How will  
Gideon react? How did either of them get to the awful state they're at in the series?  
Find out in the next chapter of Lil O'l Me (or you know in the next few chapters)!**

** Also, sorry for taking so long, I was distracted by making a Dipper costume AND a  
Mabel costume for next week, along with entering two designs into WeLoveFine's  
Catbug, Impossibear, Jelly Kid Contest! You should vote for them, half because you  
guys are awesome, half because I really want $1000 and a Wacom tablet. Of course  
voting doesn't start til the 28th, sooooo...**

**Fav/Follow/Review! It persuades me to actually take a minute and write :D**


	6. Changed

**Okay, okay. I really needed to write this chapter! I just—I  
was on a roll and that rarely happens to me so here's another  
installment of Lil Ol' Me!**

* * *

_Gideon forced open his once-blue eyes, now shining an eerie  
bright white, as a great flash charged out of the 9-year-old,  
sending a shockwave throughout the woods that sent leaves  
into a twisted frenzy and scattered the unusually-sized creatures  
deeper into the trees. The sphere of light disappeared and  
released him, dropping the now-unconscious southerner to the  
cold, unforgiving forest floor. A newly-created amulet dropped  
to his side. The faint 'clink' of metal hitting rock seemed to  
resonate through the trees, bringing only a moment's rest to  
the complete and utter silence that seemed as endless as the  
pines themselves._

* * *

Gideon weakly pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed  
his eyes which burned as they refocused. The sun loomed high  
overhead and the earth seemed to bake under its light. He squinted  
to make out a few branches littering the once empty clearing.  
Obviously, a few hours and events had passed since he had dug up  
a crystal from the grounds and read the words he now regretted.  
The boy grabbed his forehead in reflex to his splitting headache  
and his blue eyes grew wide.

"W-WHERE'D MY HAIR GO?!" The southerner shrieked, sending  
birds flying into the air as he shouted. His hands continued up his  
chubby face in a spastic fashion until he met the hairline, which  
was a huge relief. He exhaled as he tried to smooth back his long  
locks, but stopped and began feeling the large monument that  
now sat atop his skull.

He leapt up and ran toward the massive stones jutting out of the  
ground and worriedly gazed into the facets of the perfectly smooth  
crystals surrounding him, each creating a different view of his  
altered silhouette. He could easily be a foot taller than he was before  
the amulet was created. Apparently, the electricity that once surged  
through him had left his hair defying gravity. Sometimes, it seemed,  
gravity didn't fall.

"I always wanted to be taller, but this is ridiculous! I look like I could  
be hidin' something under this—this _thing!_ I wouldn't be surprised if  
rumors start that I have a second head!" he twisted his hands around  
each other nervously, "What'll my parents say? What do I tell Pacifica?"

Gideon studied his reflection again for a moment and noticed the brilliant  
gold had been stripped out of his hair, replaced by the purest silvery white  
and leaving only a few thin streaks of the previous color behind as a faint  
reminder. His eyes appeared to have lightened considerably, changing from  
a deep blue to a pale sapphire with a ring of navy around the iris, adding  
intensity to his (mostly ridiculous) new look.

"I'm sure my hair'll settle down eventually…what am I worried about?" He  
smiled nervously and pulled a water bottle out of his bookbag, dumped the  
contents on his head, and turned back to the natural mirror, certain his  
ingenious plan had worked. Turns out, the water simply beaded and slipped  
off his inverted hair like an umbrella, twisting Gideon's features into an  
unnatural, fiery rage.

Gideon viciously catapulted the aluminum canister toward the tree line,  
causing it to ricochet off a branch and roll to a stop in front of the jade bolo  
tie he created earlier. His expression softened as he lifted it off the ground by  
one of the thin leather pieces, its end outlined in gold. He inspected it with an  
obvious uncertainty. As soon as he touched the blue-green glass, a strange  
aura of the same color seemed to float around his hands.

He marveled at the sight and considered picking up his canteen, but before he  
even bent down, it glided effortlessly through the air to meet his small hands.  
The wide-eyed boy was so fascinated by his sudden ability to lift objects using  
his mind, he decided to try again. This time with something heavier. He focused  
his thoughts on lifting one of the largest branches that had been knocked down  
earlier. An eerie halo enveloped the limb and lifted it off the ground, but before  
he could realize what was happening, Gideon accidentally passed it through the  
blue beam which grew it considerably. Although it wasn't any additional strain to  
levitate it, he dropped the tree-sized branch to the ground with a loud crash.

"I _might_ need a little more practice..." he laughed sheepishly as he tucked the gem  
into his pocket for safekeeping. Gideon grabbed up his torn, leather-bound book  
that was carelessly flipped upside down on the soil, exactly where he dropped it.

"I've got plenty of things to practice on at home. This forest gives me the creeps."

* * *

**Stick around for the next chapter of Lil Ol' Me to find out what happens next!  
How do you think the townspeople/Pacifica/Gideon's parents will react? Review/  
Fav/Follow in the meantime cuz that'd be awesome! :)**


	7. Whispers

**Good news, everyone! I'm finally updating! I'm so sorry I haven't done so  
in so long! I'd been working on stuff to sell for a con and as soon as I got  
back to writing my stories, my laptop ate its own fan, my dad disassembled  
it and I lost all progress on my stories :( I'm borrowing my sister's laptop  
for now, so here is some more Lil Ol' Me!**

* * *

_"I might need a little more practice..." he laughed sheepishly as he tucked the gem  
into his pocket for safekeeping. Gideon grabbed up his torn, leather-bound book  
that was carelessly flipped upside down on the soil, exactly where he dropped it._

_"I've got plenty of things to practice on at home. This forest gives me the creeps."_

* * *

Gideon shoved his hands deep into his hoodie pockets with his face downcast. The  
hood on his head barely even covered his new hairstyle and kept forcing the zipper  
into his chubby face.

"Stupid hair." He angrily shuffled into town, keeping his gaze low. Even through his  
hood, he could hear the townspeople talking about him.

A brunette kid tugged on his mother's sleeve, "Mommy, why does that kid have two heads?"

"He probably doesn't really have…oh no. Just keep walking, Joshua, just keep walking."  
The woman corralled her child into the nearby diner, a hollowed-out redwood that was  
left where it was chopped down. She continually checked out the dingy window with a  
paranoid look on her face.

"Look at that freak. Isn't he that hick from Texas?" A long-haired man in a USA shirt cried,  
ironically sporting the same accent as Gideon.

"I thought it was Alabama!" A random passerby added.

The classy-looking man with a dadstache and a stethoscope decided to put his two cents in,  
"Definitely Texas. There's a distinct difference in the dialects. Trust me, I'm a doctor."

"I had no idea hair could stand so tall!" piped in Lazy Susan.

A deranged-looking blond with pulsing vessels shouted while pulling his hands into tight fists,  
"I bet one of those gremloblins got ahold of him! I know one took some of my pool supplies!"

"Get 'em! Get 'em!"

Gideon scrunched up with frustration with each new comment until he couldn't take it anymore.  
His face was now as red as the sun that was setting, making it look like he was about to explode.  
He drove his hands further into his pockets and without realizing it, made contact with the amulet,  
making his thoughts of sending the people around him into midair a reality. It wasn't until he heard  
a familiar scream that he realized what was happening.

"Pacifica?" the boy's eyes widened and his anger was replaced with genuine concern. He turned his  
head quickly toward the noise, knocking his hood into a heap on his back in the process.

That's when Gideon realized everyone was trapped in a living outline of blue, including his best friend.  
He wrapped his hand around the gem in his pocket and gently released the townsfolk with a terrified  
look written across his face. His secret had been revealed.

It seemed like the entire town was converging in on him at the same time, cornering him against the  
redwood diner infested with beavers that were probably infested with rabies. He closed his eyes with  
his hands up to guard his face and waited for the worst.

"WAIT!" Everyone stopped in their tracks to face the 11-year old with braids mixed into her hair,  
"No one hurt him! He's just a little kid! Even if he did traumatize you…"

"I've been twaumatized!" Gorney yelled a little too adorably.

At the mention of what just happened, the crowd loomed even closer, causing Gideon to break into a  
nervous sweat. Pacifica stepped in front of the suddenly-tall-haired boy.

"I'm not done. Even if he _did _traumatize you, it was just…a, um, a…" She snapped her fingers trying  
to think of an excuse, "…a publicity stunt! For his new show!"

Gideon added awkwardly, "Yeah—uhh—my new show! Be prepared to be amazed by Gideon the Great!"

Pacifica elbowed him in the side and yelled under her breath, "Seriously? Gideon the Great? That's the  
best you could do?!"

Gideon echoed her tone, "I'm sorry. I'm nervous because I just started an angry mob with my mind!  
What do you expect?!"

She cleared her throat and spoke to the crowd again, "He means 'Prepare to be amazed by Gideon  
Gleeful: Child Psychic!' His first show is Friday at 7! Everyone's invited!"

Oohs and ahhs echoed through the once-angry crowd. They all went their separate ways to spread the  
news, leaving Gideon and Pacifica alone. After sighing in relief, neither of them spoke for a while,  
creating a tension so thick you could barely cut it with a chainsaw.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me, Giddy?" Pacifica spoke up quietly, hurt resonating in her voice.

* * *

**Gideon's secret's been exposed and it might have just sent a rift through his friendship with  
Pacifica! What will happen next? Fav/Follow/Review! :D**

**_RANDOM TANGENT! _**You see, I've been meaning to make new covers for my stories, but since my laptop  
is dead and my fantastically outdated Photoshop CS3 is currently unavailable to me, I'm going insane. This  
may sound random, but if you could make any art stuff based around this story, I would be so excited. I love  
seeing what people can do and if I managed to inspire someone to make something awesome, my day would  
be made (plus I would _totally_ use it as my story cover). Just PM me links if you do! :)


	8. Control

**I'm kinda in a writing mood today if you couldn't tell. I just updated New Secrets, my first fanfic, after nearly a month. I must admit that I did forget about it. Anyways, I have another chapter of Lil Ol' Me for you, faithful readers!**

* * *

_Oohs and ahhs echoed through the once-angry crowd. They all went their ways to spread the news, leaving Gideon and Pacifica alone. After sighing in relief, neither of them spoke for a while, creating a tension so thick you could barely cut it with a chainsaw._

_"Is there something you wanted to tell me, Giddy?" Pacifica spoke up quietly, hurt resonating in her voice._

* * *

Gideon looked at the ground beneath his muddy tennis shoes. He only wished he had more time to prepare what he was going to say, more time to understand what had even happened to himself in the first place, just…more time.

He glanced up for a moment only to pay attention to his shoes again, "Thanks for coverin' for me back there…"

"You're welcome." Pacifica stated coldly.

They stood in awkward silence before Pacifica shattered it into a million tiny shards.

"I tried to warn you about the book! You know Old Man McGuckett?!" She asked with her arms flailing in a random fashion.

"Yeah…"

"Urban legend has it that he found one of those books. He used to be a genius, famed for his breakthroughs in robotics! And now look at him! It drove him to madness, Gideon! _Madness!_"

"It doesn't mean I'll go crazy." He shot back, the same fury beginning to shake him from the inside as earlier.

She returned fire, "Okay, so explain why you suddenly have anger problems that literally knock people off their feet! And your hair! What's up with that?!"

"You should be the one to talk! How many random braids can possibly be pulled back into one hairtie?! You look ridiculous!" He shouted without a hint of remorse in his voice.

Pacifica turned away from him, tears welling up in her green eyes that threatened to spill over any second. She slowly took her hair down, braid by braid, as she walked away from the tall-haired Texan. Gideon's shoulders relaxed and the anger that distorted his face was wiped away, leaving an expression that could make an SPCA commercial feel like Disneyworld was giving away free tickets.

"Wait Pacif—"

"Y-you've changed, Gideon," she whispered under her breath with tears finally rolling down her face, not looking back for anything. She unraveled the last of her platinum braids and stuffed the hair ties into her jean pockets. Gideon stood in stunned silence as his best friend drifted further and further away. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the tie by the gem. It glistened in the daylight, casting an unearthly shadow against the pavement.

"I bet I've missed something," He said out loud as he flipped through the tattered pages of his leather-bound book. He stopped at the familiar page labeled 'Mystic Amulet' and reread the same things over again.

The boy scoffed in frustration, "It's the same thing I've read 5 times already! Wait what's this?"

Gideon turned one page forward and sighed. The information on the amulet he now held in his possession continued onto the next page. He took a seat on a nearby bench and read to himself:

_"In my studies I have found that the one who created the Mystic Amulet would, in exchange for being able to control others' minds, would lose control of their own." _

He pulled the smooth blue-green glass up to his somehow even paler face to inspect it and nervously rolled the cool material between his palms.

"Lose… control… of… their own?" He slouched, defeated, in his seat and looked up at the sky, "Way to go, Gideon. Way to go."

* * *

**Oooooo! Fight! Fight! Fight! Plus, even more secrets about Gideon's amulet have been revealed, unfortunately not at the right time for Giddy. Anyways, Fav/Follow/Review if you want!**


	9. Silhouettes

**Okay, I'm going to begin this long-awaited chapter with a note: I won't be updating my fics as often (please don't unfollow me and everything PLEASE). In fact, thanks to not having a computer of my own here, I had to walk a good half a mile just to get to the campus library so I could throw this glorious chapter together. Also, I am going to try finishing up New Secrets and this story soon. There's not much left in either of them, but this all depends on how often I saunter over to the library wearing Adventure Time shirts like the classy college senior I am. If you want to know when this happens, I DO have a Nook with a Twitter app and access to Tumblr. I go by gravitybydesign on both. Now that that's out of the way, onto the story!**

* * *

_Gideon turned one page forward and sighed. The information on the amulet he now held in his possession continued onto the next page. He took a seat on a nearby bench and read to himself:_

_"In my studies I have found that the one who created the Mystic Amulet would, in exchange for being able to control others' minds, would lose control of their own." _

_He pulled the smooth blue-green glass up to his somehow even paler face to inspect it and nervously rolled the cool material between his palms._

_"Lose… control… of… their own?" He slouched, defeated, in his seat and looked up at the sky, "Way to go, Gideon. Way to go."_

* * *

The boy had watched the sun set from the same bench in town, trying to collect himself from the sudden realization that he paid such a high price for the ability to bend minds and objects to his will. Sighing, he finally moved from his seat and headed home, face downcast as he nervously flipped the bluish charm in his hands. Noticing it was past nightfall and the sky lost its neon orange hue, Gideon crept slowly up the sidewalk and tiptoed onto the porch.

Gideon opened the front door with a tiny squeak, allowing the streetlight to cast an unusual silhouette on the frames across the living room. He tensed up for a moment after shutting the door, afraid that someone was watching him from the shadows. The paranoid feeling he was being watched never seemed to leave him now that he created the gem, even if he wasn't in the forest. The boy looked around the room like a madman until he heard a small rustling from the opposite corner of the room. Within seconds, he viciously wrapped his fingers around the amulet in his pocket and held it so his knuckles turned white, trapping the concealed person in its turquoise light.

"How dare you!" He fumed, turning bright red as he gripped the crystal tighter in his hand, "I thought I told you to stop watchi—"

Upon gathering the courage to actually look the person in the eye, Gideon immediately dropped the tie from his hand and watched the mysterious figure fall partially onto the coffee table, gasping for air. He walked forward and carefully reached his hand out to help the slouched person up to their feet, but she retreated back into the corner, trembling violently while wordlessly shaking her head.

"M-Mom? I- I didn't…" He trailed off and anxiety crossed his features.

He silently mouthed an apology, but the thin woman only looked down at her shaking hands, mumbling something unintelligible under her breath. Gideon backed away from his mother slowly and while on the verge of tears himself, he snatched the dangerous gem from the pastel-colored carpet and ran upstairs to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him before collapsing on his bed.

He looked down at the amulet and felt the rage return, this time at himself. He stood up and quickly levitated his vanity stool into the wall, shattering it into unfixable pieces with a swift move of his arm. A large man cracked the door slightly and stared at the ivory-haired kid for a moment before clearing his throat authoritatively.

"You okay, son?" He inquired in his thick accent. Gideon didn't respond, only turned his head and stared up at his father with the unstoppable fire still burning ominously in his eyes. Before Bud Gleeful knew what was happening, a brilliant flash escaped from the jade tie, sending his world into white.

* * *

**Just keep vacuuming.**

**Review/Fav/Follow for more Gideon backstory!**


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